On Sunday, December 7th, 1941 the Japanese launched a surprise attack against the U.S. Forces stationed at Pearl Harbor , Hawaii. By planning his attack on a Sunday, the Japanese commander Admiral Nagumo, hoped to catch the entire fleet in port. As luck would have it, the Aircraft Carriers and one of the Battleships were not in port. (The USS Enterprise was returning from Wake Island , where it had just delivered some aircraft. (The USS Lexington was ferrying aircraft to Midway, and the USS Saratoga and USS Colorado were undergoing repairs in the United States.)

In spite of the latest intelligence reports about the missing aircraft carriers (his most important targets), Admiral Nagumo decided to continue the attack with his force of six carriers and 423 aircraft. At a range of 230 miles north of Oahu, he launched the first wave of a two-wave attack. Beginning at 0600 hours his first wave consisted of 183 fighters and torpedo bombers which struck at the fleet in Pearl Harbor and the airfields in Hickam, Kaneohe and Ewa. The second strike, launched at 0715 hours, consisted of 167 aircraft, which again struck at the same targets.

At 0753 hours the first wave consisting of 40 Nakajima B5N2 "Kate" torpedo bombers, 51 Aichi D3A1 "Val" dive bombers, 50 high altitude bombers and 43 Zeros struck airfields and Pearl Harbor. Within the next hour, the second wave arrived and continued the attack.

When it was over, the U.S. losses were:
Casualties
    USA: 218 KIA, 364 WIA.
    USN: 2,008 KIA, 710 WIA.
    USMC: 109 KIA, 69 WIA.
    Civilians: 68 KIA, 35 WIA.
    TOTAL: 2,403 KIA, 1,178 WIA.
Battleships
    USS Arizona (BB-39) - total loss when a bomb hit her mag! azine.
    USS Oklahoma (BB-37) - Total loss when she capsized and sunk in  the harbor.
    USS California (BB-44) - Sunk at her berth. Later raised and  repaired.
    USS West Virginia (BB-48) - Sunk at her berth. Later raised and  repaired.
    USS Nevada - (BB-36) Beached to prevent sinking. Later repaired.
    USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) - Light damage.
    USS Maryland (BB-46) - Light damage.
    USS Tennessee (BB-43) Light damage.
    USS Utah (AG-16) - (former battleship used as a target) - Sunk.
Cruisers
    USS New Orleans (CA-32) - Light Damage.
    USS San Francisco (CA38) - Light Damage.
    USS Detroit (CL-8) - Light Damage.
    USS Raleigh (CL-7) - Heavily damaged but repaired.
    USS Helena (CL-50) - Light Damage.
    USS Honolulu (CL-48) - Light Damage.
Destroyers
    USS Downes (DD-375) - Destroyed. Parts salvaged.
    USS Cassin - (DD-372) Destroyed. Parts salvaged.
    USS Shaw (DD-373) - Very heavy damage.
    USS Helm (DD-388) - Light Damage.
Minelayer
    USS Ogala (CM-4) - Sunk but later raised and repaired.
Seaplane Tender
     USS Curtiss (AV-4) - Severely damaged but later repaired.
Repair Ship
    USS Vestal (AR-4) - Severely damaged but later repaired.
Harbor Tug
    USS Sotoyomo (YT-9) - Sunk but later raised and repaired.
Aircraft
    188 Aircraft destroyed (92 USN and 92 U.S. Army Air Corps.)

 

"Show me the manner in which a nation or community cares for its dead and I will measure with mathematical exactness the tender sympathies of its people, their respect for the laws of the land and their loyalty to high ideals."

 

Gladstone